Taiwan has been the largest consumer of semiconductor materials for eight consecutive years.

The Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI) announced that global semiconductor materials sales increased 9.6% in 2017 compared to the previous year. Worldwide semiconductor sales rose 21.6% compared to the previous year.

According to the SEMI Materials Market Report, the overall wafer materials sector reached $27.8 billion in 2017, while the packaging materials sector reached $19.1 billion. In 2016, wafer materials reached $24.7 billion, and packaging materials reached $18.2 billion, representing growth of 12.7% and 5.4%, respectively.

Taiwan, with its large foundries and advanced packaging, has been the largest consumer of semiconductor materials for eight consecutive years, reaching US$10.3 billion in 2017. China follows in second place with US$7.6 billion, and South Korea third with US$7.5 billion. While Taiwan, China, South Korea, and Europe saw significant sales growth compared to the previous year, the materials markets in Japan, North America, and other regions (including Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, other Southeast Asian countries, and smaller regions) saw single-digit growth.